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The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead

2015

Documentary / Music

2
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 12 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 65% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 502 502

Plot summary

From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. This authorized film includes appearances from Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones (The Clash), Lemmy and members of Pink Floyd, Black Flag, GNR, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Buzzcocks, and more. Shot around the globe over three years, the film charts the band's complex history and infighting, as it celebrated its 35th anniversary and found its estranged former members striking out on their own anniversary tour, while still others battle cancer.

Director

Wes Orshoski Photo
Wes Orshoski

Top cast

Billy Idol Photo
Billy Idol as
Fred Armisen Photo
Fred Armisen as Self
Chrissie Hynde Photo
Chrissie Hynde as Self
Lemmy Photo
Lemmy as Self
720p.BLU
1014.2 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 50 min
Seeds 10

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by goldgreen 8 / 10

First class documentary

I watched this as a fan of punk and a fan of rock documentaries. I was never completely sold on the Damned, more of a Pistols fan, but I was interested in the people behind the publicity photos, behind the rock image, the stories they had to tell. This film delivers all of that a little too powerfully at times, as while it makes its director look good, it makes the group look a little sorry. Brian James and Rat Scabies come across as broken old men, even if they have a great story to tell. Dave Vanian comes across as a good and loyal singer for the group who lacks the big personality to sell the group as well as Johnny Rotten and Joe Strummer. Only Captain Sensible really seems to have improved with age. We see him as cheerful, personable with fans, a better front man than Dave Vanian, a great guitarist. Again, you wonder at his loyalty to the group. As a viewer you want the film to have a happy ending, for the group to get their million dollar cheque, but it never arrives.
Reviewed by Karl Self 7 / 10

Nomen est omen

This documentary brought The Damned out of obscurity for me. A band with an incredible history of Top of the Pops appearances, the first UK punk single, chart hits, solo successes, launching Lemmy Kilmister and the bassist of Culture Club just on a side note. Despite being ahead of their time and repeatedly making it into the charts, their nomen seems to have been their omen, ultimately splitting the band into two warring factions.
Reviewed by kirbylee70-599-526179 8 / 10

Pure Punk

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